I will bring you peace
by scoob2222
Summary: Chloe goes through a terrible ordeal in her life and she needs Jack to help her through it deals with rape, do not read if this makes you uncomfortable.


They'd been vacationing on Lake Como for over a month. At first it was nice, just him and Audrey, relaxing in the sun, enjoying the peace and quiet.

But he was starting to miss real life. And the more time he spent with Audrey the more he wondered if they were really going to make it as a couple. He wasn't sure he was going to make it two more weeks.

He'd come down into the city to shop for some food to make Audrey dinner. If he admitted it to himself he would say that he just needed some time away.

The worst part of the entire vacation is Audrey's demand that he contact no one while they were gone. It had been a month since he'd spoken to Curtis and he was itching to know what was going on at CTU. Worse than that was not being in contact with Chloe. After 18 months of talking to her, being without her for this long left him very unsettled.

He' surprised when he sees Chase around the corner, but he quickly lengthens his stride to catch up calling out his name, "Chase!"

Chasse turns around, but then quickly continues on his way. Concerned and confused Jack kept following him, calling his name, until finally Chase had to stop.

"Chase,' he said, "Why'd you take off like that?"

Jack was pretty sure that the look Chase shot him was meant to incinerate him, "You're kidding me, right?"

"No," Jack said, "I'm not. What's going on?"

"You're seriously asking me why I don't want to talk to you after what happened two weeks ago."

"Chase, honestly, I don't know what you're talking about. Did something happen?"

Chases' eyes grew huge and he moved toward Jack, hand clenched like he was going to hit him, "Did something happen? I call and call and call. Tell you that Chloe's been calling out for you in her sleep. Tell you that no matter what I do to comfort her she wants you, needs you and now you…." Chase broke off, shaking his head, "you know what, forget it. Obviously Chloe doesn't mean much to you. So to hell with you. She'll get over it, she'll get over you. She's strong." Chase turned and stalked away. Jack was so stunned her couldn't even follow.

But one thing was sure; he had to find out what the hell was going on.

&&&&&&

"Audrey," Jack called as he stomped back into their villa, "Where the hell is my phone?"

"What?" she called as she came out, impeccably dressed and smiling at him.

"My phone," he repeated, well demanded, "Where is it?"

Audrey frowned and wagged her finger at him, "Now, Jack we talked about it and you promised…"

"I don't have time for that now Audrey, give me my phone," his voice was loud, not quiet screaming, but enough to have her move backward in shock.

"I'm sorry," he said automatically, "It's an emergency and I need it now."

"Fine," she said, moving over towards one of the chests and removing it from a side drawer. She returned toward him and said her voice full of ice, "Can I ask why you need it? Or what could possibly be enough of an emergency to have you screaming like a maniac."

"I saw Chase in the piazza. He said Chloe that she was hurt or, I'm not sure. He wouldn't talk about it. He seemed angry at me. He said…he said he'd called here and I'd ignored him, but I never got a call," he began to dial the phone and looked up, "Are we having trouble getting service on the main phone. I left the number with Chloe in case….." he trailed off as he looked up at her face. The phone slid from his ear.

"Audrey," his voice was tense, "What the hell did you do?"

Audrey's face was white, "There was nothing you could do for her. Chase was with her. He's her best friend, what could you possibly,"

"WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED TO HER? TELL ME RIGHT NOW!"

Audrey shrunk from his anger, her answer quiet, "She was raped."

Jack felt like the world was slipping out from under him. Dear God, she'd been, she'd been calling for him and he hadn't come. She must think he'd abandoned her. She needed him and he wasn't there to protect her.

He forced himself to focus. Chloe needed him. He might be late, but he would be there for her. "Tell me every single thing that Chase told you. Every single thing."

Audrey nodded and sank into the chair that sat in their foyer, "Chase called two weeks ago. You were out. I told him that you would call back. He said it was an emergency, that Chloe was hurt. I asked what happened. He said, he said that Spencer had been stealing CTU and Chloe had found out. She'd turned him in and he was fired. That night when she got home, he was waiting, knocked her out and when she woke up….he was, uh…"

"He was raping her," Jack spit at her, "He was raping her. He knocked her out and raped her and then what……THEN WHAT AUDREY!"

"He left her there and she was bleeding. They didn't find her until the next day. She didn't show at CTU and Bill couldn't reach her. He and Curtis….they got nervous. Curtis went over there and found her. They took her to the hospital and she's okay, but she lost some blood. She had to stay for a while."

Jack was completely still and silent as he stared at the floor.

"I am going to call the airport and then I am calling a cab. I would appreciate if you waited upstairs until I left."

"No, no, Jack, just wait," she pleaded, getting up to grab his arm as he passed her only you have it violently shaken off, "Let me explain."

Jack still didn't look at her, "What do you think you could say? There is nothing."

"I was trying to protect us. The first time Chase called, he didn't say how bad it was. I knew you'd rush there. I knew you would go to her and then she would suck you in again…."

"Are you hearing yourself? Suck me in. My friend, my best friend, the woman who saved my life, who risked her job, her freedom for me over and over again was viciously attacked. Attacked by a man who only went after her in the first place as a puppet of someone trying to get to me. And you didn't want me to rush there and take care of her."

"She's in love with you. She'd use anything to…."

"NO! NO! THAT'S YOU! YOU USED ANYTHING TO GET ME TO SAY. CHLOE NEVER ASKED ME TO STAY!" Jack lowered his voice, still refusing to look at her, "Chloe put me first all the time. She's the one that told me to come here with you, that I deserved it. She is part of the reason all of us are alive, that we even had a second chance and you….you treated her like she was nothing, like her pain was nothing," he did look at her know, "you disgust me."

"No, Jack."

"Go upstairs Audrey, I cannot promise to control myself much longer."

He stomped away thankful that he heard her steps on the stairs a few seconds later.

&&&&&&

It seemed to take forever to get a flight, to get through airport security, to get a cab, to get to her apartment and when he got there and held his hand up to the door he had no idea what he was going to say.

The door creaked open an inch, several chains on, and one gorgeous eye peering out at him, "Jack?" her voice was so tiny.

"Yeah, can I….can I come in?"

She closed the door on him. He held his breath for a moment before he heard the chains sliding away. Then the door opened to reveal her even smaller than before body swimming in an old t-shirt and shorts, "You're here."

"I am. I'm sorry, so, so sorry. I didn't know what…" he trailed off, "I didn't know what happened. Audrey kept it from me or I would have been here, Chloe, I am so, so sorry."

Chloe nodded, looking down, when she raised her head again, her eyes were full of tears. He moved forward quickly taking her into his arms, "I am so sorry, baby," he whispered over and over as he held her, his hands running through her hair.

"I didn't think you cared about me anymore," she whispered, "I called and called and you didn't come."

"I am sorry, Chloe, I would have come. It's no excuse I never should have left. I won't leave again. I love you Chloe and I will never leave you again."

Clutching her to him, he looked at Chase standing in the doorway of her bedroom staring at them. Chase nodded at him as he walked past, patting one shoulder and saying, "Take care of her," as he left them alone.

"I will," he promised them both, "I'll take care of you."


End file.
